This small stone building, home to Oamaru’s first post office, has historical, architectural and social significance as the town’s oldest public building. Designed by prominent Dunedin architectural partnership Mason and Clayton, it opened in 1864.
Early postal services and buildings were haphazard, and as the Acting Postmaster-General reported in 1863, were ‘the great obstacle in the way of a thorough and complete organisation of the Postal Service in New Zealand.’ He wrote, ‘[e]ach settlement has sprung from very small beginnings. In the first instance “one or at most two rooms” answered the purpose well; as population increased and Inland Townships were formed the Office accomodation [sic], when it became cramped, was increased by the addition of “another room,” and still another, till the Post offices in the most important Towns, instead of being as they ought to be, large, commodious and well-arranged buildings, are nothing but labyrinths of rooms, in which order arrangement, and complete classification are impossible.” In the late 1850s, Oamaru’s first postal agency operated from France’s store in Humber Street, but soon became too small. In the mid-1860s centres such as Dunedin and Wellington got new Post offices; Oamaru’s was soon to follow.
Dunedin architectural partnership Mason and Clayton designed the Post Office. They had also designed Post Offices in Port Chalmers (1863), Milton (1863) and Waikouaiti (1863), as well as the General Post Office (1864) in Dunedin. Mason and Clayton advertised for tenders in April 1864. The North Otago Times was hopeful that the building would be ‘composed of stone, it being almost as cheap as wood.’ The building was described as ‘designed after the Italian style, but of no particular order. It will have a frontage of fifty-two feet [15.8 metres] to Thames-street by a depth of twenty-seven [8.2 metres]; elevation to wall plate, ten feet six inches [3.2 metres]’ and to ridge, fifteen feet [4.5 metres]; main elevation of tower, with clock in front, twenty-nine feet [8.8 metres]. When erected, it will be a handsome edifice, and will be sufficiently large to contain both Post and Telegraph Offices.
The Otago Daily Times reported the opening of the Post Office in August 1864. It was, the reporter wrote, a ‘substantial and commodious building’ that ‘cannot fail to be a great accommodation to the public, as well as a comfort to the officials and will conduce to the despatch of public business’. Charles Lemon was the first postmaster.
In 1869, a new wing was added to accommodate the Customs Department. The addition was 21 by 30 feet [6.1 by 9.1 metres], with a lobby for private boxes, and two rooms for the Customs Department, one a private office and the other a public office. Above the lobby was the ‘rectangular tower’ of about 22 foot high [6.7 metres] ‘evidently intended by the architect as a receptacle for a three-dial clock’, but the openings were to be filled with glass as the clock was not installed. Clayton was once again the architect, while the contractors were Calder and Munro. The North Otago Times lamented that the ‘new wing being of greater height, is disproportionate to the older portion, and the “tout ensemble” is such as to give the idea of incongruity.’ The public were keen for a clock to be installed in the tower.
By the late 1870s, there were plans to erect a larger building, reflecting Oamaru’s burgeoning population. Any demands for a clock tower were put off until a new post office was erected. In 1884, the Post Office moved out of this building and into a grand building next door, designed by Oamaru partnership Forrester and Lemon (List entry No. 2294). In later years, the first Oamaru Post Office was home to various government departments, and was known as the Social Security Building. In the 1990s it was sold into private ownership, opening as the Last Post Restaurant in 1992. In 2015, it remains home to the Last Post Restaurant.
Early postal services and buildings were haphazard, and as the Acting Postmaster-General reported in 1863, were ‘the great obstacle in the way of a thorough and complete organisation of the Postal Service in New Zealand.’ He wrote, ‘[e]ach settlement has sprung from very small beginnings. In the first instance “one or at most two rooms” answered the purpose well; as population increased and Inland Townships were formed the Office accomodation [sic], when it became cramped, was increased by the addition of “another room,” and still another, till the Post offices in the most important Towns, instead of being as they ought to be, large, commodious and well-arranged buildings, are nothing but labyrinths of rooms, in which order arrangement, and complete classification are impossible.” In the late 1850s, Oamaru’s first postal agency operated from France’s store in Humber Street, but soon became too small. In the mid-1860s centres such as Dunedin and Wellington got new Post offices; Oamaru’s was soon to follow.
Dunedin architectural partnership Mason and Clayton designed the Post Office. They had also designed Post Offices in Port Chalmers (1863), Milton (1863) and Waikouaiti (1863), as well as the General Post Office (1864) in Dunedin. Mason and Clayton advertised for tenders in April 1864. The North Otago Times was hopeful that the building would be ‘composed of stone, it being almost as cheap as wood.’ The building was described as ‘designed after the Italian style, but of no particular order. It will have a frontage of fifty-two feet [15.8 metres] to Thames-street by a depth of twenty-seven [8.2 metres]; elevation to wall plate, ten feet six inches [3.2 metres]’ and to ridge, fifteen feet [4.5 metres]; main elevation of tower, with clock in front, twenty-nine feet [8.8 metres]. When erected, it will be a handsome edifice, and will be sufficiently large to contain both Post and Telegraph Offices.
The Otago Daily Times reported the opening of the Post Office in August 1864. It was, the reporter wrote, a ‘substantial and commodious building’ that ‘cannot fail to be a great accommodation to the public, as well as a comfort to the officials and will conduce to the despatch of public business’. Charles Lemon was the first postmaster.
In 1869, a new wing was added to accommodate the Customs Department. The addition was 21 by 30 feet [6.1 by 9.1 metres], with a lobby for private boxes, and two rooms for the Customs Department, one a private office and the other a public office. Above the lobby was the ‘rectangular tower’ of about 22 foot high [6.7 metres] ‘evidently intended by the architect as a receptacle for a three-dial clock’, but the openings were to be filled with glass as the clock was not installed. Clayton was once again the architect, while the contractors were Calder and Munro. The North Otago Times lamented that the ‘new wing being of greater height, is disproportionate to the older portion, and the “tout ensemble” is such as to give the idea of incongruity.’ The public were keen for a clock to be installed in the tower.
By the late 1870s, there were plans to erect a larger building, reflecting Oamaru’s burgeoning population. Any demands for a clock tower were put off until a new post office was erected. In 1884, the Post Office moved out of this building and into a grand building next door, designed by Oamaru partnership Forrester and Lemon (List entry No. 2294). In later years, the first Oamaru Post Office was home to various government departments, and was known as the Social Security Building. In the 1990s it was sold into private ownership, opening as the Last Post Restaurant in 1992. In 2015, it remains home to the Last Post Restaurant.
